Exploring the Underground

Written by Jayme Brahmsteadt, a Wisconsin Lutheran College student who is studying in Italy during J Term with WLC classmates and Dr. Martin Moldenhauer, Associate Professor of English.

Ciao! On this windy Tuesday morning, we took a tour of the Cantine Neri vineyard in Orvieto. The tour was given by a woman named Graziella, and as she took us from room to room, thorough descriptions were given about the processes that take place in each space. Graziella informed us of the methods of picking, transporting, and pressing the grapes; she also explained the differences between the processes of red and white wines. She then led us to a nearby Etruscan tomb and cave that have been converted into cellars, where much of the wine is stored in barrels. To bring the tour to a close, she showed us her display of various wines sold by the vineyard and described the order of wines and food pairings for a common Italian dinner.

Although the tour of the vineyard came to a close, our time with Graziella was not over. She came with us to explore the Orvieto Underground and gave us another tour. The tour covered two Etruscan caves out of the 1,200 under the city of Orvieto. Within the first cave, there were ancient structures that gave life to their processes of the production of olive oil and wine. This hand-carved and chiseled machinery helped us picture what a typical day was like for an Etruscan. There were also signs of a water collection and drainage system within both of the caves we explored.

In the second cave, a different trade was expressed. It seemed as if every wall was lined with copious amounts of holes carved to create small homes for pigeons. For the Etruscan families in this particular cave, their main income was received through the trade of pigeon meat, feathers, and droppings for natural fertilizer. There were also openings to the outdoors so that the birds could fly to gather their own source of food. Due to smugglers, the pope at the time ordered that these openings to be filled or covered up; consequently, the Etruscans had to turn to a different trade. This led to them making pottery and leather goods. We saw pottery shards and pieces that were left behind.

Although we were sad to finish our journey inside the caves, we were excited to walk back to the hotel to record our adventures in our personal journals. We wrapped up the day with some class time to discuss our readings about Florence to prepare for our time there tomorrow. We all cannot wait to discover Florence!